Shelter From The Light
by AsreonInfusion
Summary: Cloud Strife, vampire hunter, knew vampires could be beautiful and deadly at the same time. But he never expected to find a vampire possessing such humanity... especially not in a master vampire like Sephiroth. [Sefikura vampire AU; yaoi]


Ohhhh man! I posted this as a Halloween fic to my Tumblr... but totally forgot to cross-post anywhere else. This is so damn late now. Sorry. DX

Anyway, this is actually mostly TekkaWekka's brainchild. She was talking about this scenario and started forwarding pieces of the conversation to me, because vampire Sefikura is my jam and she thought I would appreciate the ideas. I did appreciate them. So much so I wrote them out.

This was kinda meant to lead on to a multichapter collaboration story, but I doubt I'm gonna find the time to continue it anywhere in the near future with uni eating me alive. orz Just enjoy it as a little one-shot for now, then it'll be a nice surprise if any more chapters do get added.

 **Warnings:** NSFW at the start, with bondage, chastity cages and orgasm denial. The dynamics between Seph and Cloud are potentially quite creepy if you think about it (there's gotta be some Stockholm Syndrome going on here or something…) Also way too much exposition, lol.

* * *

Cloud could have screamed. His whole body was trembling, his face and chest and cock flushed deep red with pleasure, skin slick with sweat. He needed it so bad, but he couldn't come. Sephiroth wouldn't let him. **  
**

His cock strained against the biting metal of the cage around it. He was as hard as he could get inside its confines. It was nowhere near enough.

"Sephiroth, please!" Cloud cried out, choking back a gasp.

Sephiroth didn't stop, though. He was fucking Cloud slowly, shallowly. Tantalising, teasing thrusts, only ever letting Cloud take the tip of his cock, maybe an inch or two if he was generous. It felt so good, even just that much, but Cloud wanted more. He wanted to be filled, to be fucked hard, claimed.

Sephiroth was showing him a glimpse of heaven, but never taking him there, no matter how much Cloud writhed and begged beneath him.

"You know what you need to ask for, Cloud. You can be mine forever. I can show you pleasure you've never even dreamed of. Just beg for it, and I will gladly give."

Cloud's eyes squeezed shut. He was so overstimulated, and he could hardly bear it, but he wanted it so bad. That low, sultry purr in Sephiroth's voice had Cloud's cock twitching in response.

"I… I can't. Sephiroth…"

Oh, Gaia, but Cloud's resolve was wavering.

"Hm." Sephiroth smiled, giving Cloud an indulgent kiss. One did not live a thousand years without learning patience, after all. Cloud was his. It was just a matter of waiting for Cloud to accept that.

He nuzzled against Cloud's throat, even that gentle affection making his pet sigh and shiver. So responsive. Sephiroth let him feel the deadly sharpness of his fangs, bared against Cloud's fragile skin. It was a promise, rather than a threat, and it sent a heady thrill of lust burning through Cloud's veins. Cloud groaned with want.

Oh, yes, Cloud was his.

Sephiroth drew out of Cloud, even as Cloud's grasping hands begged him to stay. Cloud's whole body was electrified with the need for more, lips parted, eyes unfocused and glazed with lust.

"Whenever you are ready, Cloud… I'll give you your release."

Sephiroth kissed him again, deeply, hotly, but far too briefly. And then he was gone.

Cloud fell back against the bedcovers with a sob of frustration. His cock was throbbing in the confines of its cage. There was no relief to be found there. Normally, Sephiroth would not have left the cage on – it was usually only a thing they used when they played, if Sephiroth thought Cloud was getting too worked up, and he would take it off afterwards – but Cloud had brought the punishment upon himself this time.

"It's like you _want_ to be punished," Sephiroth had purred in amusement, pinning Cloud down after his latest escape attempt. Not that it had been much of one. It was only the very few first attempts that had been serious, when Cloud discovered himself a prisoner of the very vampire he had been sent to hunt down and destroy. Before he got to know Sephiroth.

How ironic that a vampire, an unholy, demonic creature of the dark, treated Cloud with far more kindness that anyone in Nibelheim ever had. If Sephiroth had been anyone else – any _thing_ else – Cloud would stay with him in a heartbeat. But as it was, his morals were at war. There was guilt, and bitterness, and so much _want_ … sometimes Cloud just needed to get away.

Sephiroth had unshackled Cloud and taken him down to the kitchen for company while he baked. It was odd, a vampire cooking. Sephiroth could eat normal food, but only a small amount before he became ill. Nonetheless, he enjoyed the process, and cooking was a talent he had chosen to explore in his many years of existence. Sephiroth seemed inordinately pleased to have the opportunity to cook for Cloud.

Cloud sat on one of the kitchen counters and watched until he couldn't bear it anymore.

Sephiroth was gorgeous. Ethereal and otherworldly, with grace and power in every move he made. The strength he possessed was unreal.

That Cloud could understand. How often had his mother told him that creatures of the dark could look beautiful, how they could appeal to a human's baser desires? Hah. Sephiroth certainly appealed to Cloud's. He shoved that thought away.

It was the little things that got to him, though. When Sephiroth asked Cloud's opinion on which herbs he would prefer, or glancing over to give Cloud small smiles whenever he shifted. Reaching around Cloud to take something from the counter and pressing a soft kiss to the corner of Cloud's mouth.

Sephiroth was an incredibly powerful master vampire, but he acted so damn _human_ and Cloud didn't know how to hate him.

Sephiroth turned around with a streak of flour across his nose, and that was it. Cloud couldn't stand it. He stood up and ran.

Sephiroth let him go, for a little while. Let Cloud have some space. When he'd come to find Cloud, Sephiroth's expression had been concerned and patient.

Cloud couldn't stand it! Sephiroth acting like… like he _cared_.

So he'd kept running, and of course Sephiroth had caught him, and maybe that was exactly what Cloud had wanted all along. It was so easy not to think when Sephiroth was there, touching him, sending lust sparking through his veins. Cloud would take his 'punishment' gladly, because lust was a lot easier to understand than the other ache in his heart.

Cloud rolled over on the bed with a soft moan. His ass still ached, just a little, from the spanking Sephiroth had given him. Not hard enough to hurt – Sephiroth knew Cloud's supposed attempt to get away hadn't been out of maliciousness – but just enough to sting deliciously. Then had come the cage, and Sephiroth had stretched Cloud open and milked his prostate with his fingers until Cloud was a screaming, trembling mess. And _then_ , Sephiroth had teased him with a hint of how it would feel when Cloud finally allowed Sephiroth to claim him in every way.

Cloud's cock bucked at the memory. Shit. His erection had finally softened enough to be comfortable in the cage; the last thing he needed was to started getting turned on again just at the thought of the things Sephiroth did to him.

Oh, but Gaia, it turned him on.

He couldn't even pretend he cared about Sephiroth being a vampire anymore. The taboo of it only made their illicit relations all the more exciting. It was just that Sephiroth wanted _Cloud_ to become a vampire as well. And Cloud wasn't allowed to orgasm until he agreed, until he begged for Sephiroth to turn him.

The bed dipped beside him, indicating Sephiroth's return, and Cloud blinked his eyes open. Sephiroth still smelled faintly of sex. He'd gone to finish somewhere else, not wanting to reach his peak in front of Cloud when Cloud wasn't allowed his own. Not that Cloud would've minded watching Sephiroth orgasm either way.

Sephiroth ran a gentle hand along Cloud's side. "Are you sore, pet?"

Cloud shook his head. His cock ached a bit, and there was still the fading tension caused by not being allowed to release, but he felt good.

Sephiroth gave a low chuckle, fingers drifting down to toy with the cage around Cloud's softened cock "Hm. Let's get this off you, shall we? It can't be comfortable."

Cloud was content to lie back and let Sephiroth take care of him. He sighed deeply as the cage was removed, prompting another fond laugh from Sephiroth. Sephiroth checked Cloud over with firm, flat-handed touches, making sure he wasn't bruised and there were no issues with his blood flow.

He paid special attention to the shackle around Cloud's ankle; it had been put on in a hurry when they'd returned to the bedroom. It was a delicate thing, filigree silver and lined with silk, crafted especially to be a perfect, comfortable fit for Cloud. It was still comfortable on him, despite the haste with which it had been secured. Good.

Cloud curled up against Sephiroth's side once he was done, sleepy and happily humming with endorphins.

His serene moment was rudely interrupted by a loud rumble from his stomach.

"Hungry?" Sephiroth teased.

Cloud scowled and tried to pretend he wasn't blushing. Betrayed by his own digestive system. "Maybe a little," he murmured against Sephiroth's chest.

Sephiroth gave Cloud's hair an affectionate stroke. "Go get cleaned up. The bread we were cooking earlier should be ready by now."

Cloud clung a little as Sephiroth left to get the food for him, disappointed to see him leave. It was… cute. Cloud always was after a good pleasure session.

But, as adorable as it was, Sephiroth preferred a fully awake and aware Cloud. That was the Cloud who had first captivated him. The Cloud who had hunted him down, tracking him through the forest for days, surviving on nothing but his own wits and skill in the meantime. He had managed to launch an effective ambush on a vampire – enough to take Sephiroth by surprise, if not to cause him any real harm. And Cloud had held his own against Sephiroth when it came down to battle, for a short while at least.

That in itself was impressive. Even more impressive was when Cloud actually landed a blow with that ridiculously oversized sword of his.

He was the first person to injure Sephiroth in over a century. The first human in many more.

Cloud was beautiful and he was deadly. Sephiroth found a new respect for him in that moment. And he wanted him.

Of course, Cloud was still trying to kill him, and that wouldn't do. He was too stubborn to go down without a fight, though. Sephiroth had ended up having to hurt him more than he'd wanted in order to incapacitate him. Unfortunate… but impressive. That _spirit_.

Sephiroth had brought him back to care for him until he healed. But he couldn't simply let Cloud go after that; Cloud was a definite threat, if not to Sephiroth himself then perhaps to some of his kin, the precious few friends he possessed. It would be unwise to let Cloud live to become an even more powerful vampire hunter.

And Sephiroth certainly had his own selfish reasons for keeping Cloud.

A small smile crept across his lips at the memory. Sephiroth was a patient man; he had spent weeks making his attraction to Cloud known, testing the waters. He let his touches linger, his fingers intimately brushing over Cloud's shoulders and arms. He would tuck Cloud's unruly bangs behind his ear and murmur suggestive nothings to him.

Cloud always blushed delightfully in response, annoyed and turned on at the same time. He had been the one to finally break, grabbing two fistfuls of Sephiroth's hair and pulling him down into a kiss. It was fierce and desperate, barely any different to when they had battled. It was lust and hatred combined into one. Sephiroth loved it.

The hatred had bled away since then, but the lust certainly hadn't.

Sephiroth retrieved the bread from the oven. In truth, it had probably not been necessary to make a simple bread as fancy as he had, all herbs and spices and shaped into a delicate braid. But he found it oddly satisfying to pamper his pet.

He knocked before re-entering Cloud's room, but that didn't prevent Sephiroth from being greeted by the lovely sight of Cloud's naked backside.

Cloud was still damp, freshly-scrubbed skin glistening as he attempted to towel his hair into submission. He glanced over his shoulder as Sephiroth entered, but made no move to cover himself.

"Could you undo the shackle for a minute? It's a pain in the ass trying to get my pants on otherwise."

"What, and allow you to deprive me of such a splendid view?"

Cloud shot a look at Sephiroth before catching the teasing little smile on his face. He gave a light kick to Sephiroth's shin instead, pointedly using the shackled ankle in question.

Sephiroth chuckled. He put the food aside and grabbed Cloud's ankle out from underneath him, sending Cloud toppling forward onto the bed with a yelp.

The shackle clicked open. Sephiroth couldn't resist lingering, trailing his fingers up Cloud's leg and to his thigh. Cloud's breath hitched.

Sephiroth pressed a small kiss against Cloud's shoulder blade and moved away to let Cloud get dressed.

The clothes Cloud picked out were the simplest Sephiroth had provided him with, just a pair of loose silk sleeping trousers. He put them on with nothing underneath, and likewise remained bare-chested. He held out his ankle when he was done so Sephiroth could refasten the shackle.

"You don't need that on this evening," Sephiroth said. "I'm here with you; the shackle is hardly necessary."

This did not receive the welcome Sephiroth had anticipated. Cloud looked almost disappointed at the suggestion.

Cloud shifted his weight from one food to the other. "Oh. I kind of… like it. I mean– I'm used to it now, it feels weird without it."

Sephiroth gave Cloud an appraising glance; Cloud looked like he might even have been blushing a bit. Sephiroth tenderly refastened the shackle. Cloud did seem to almost relax with it on… Sephiroth filed the information away, smiling as he gave Cloud a thorough, approving kiss.

Cloud sighed happily. He allowed the kiss for a few moments before pushing Sephiroth away. "Feed me first before we start getting into that again," he said.

It was entirely probable that Cloud had not meant for Sephiroth to literally be the one to feed him, but that was how they ended up.

Sephiroth took them into the library adjoining Cloud's room. The chain on Cloud's shackle was far longer now compared to when Cloud had first been brought to Sephiroth's manor, granting much more freedom than the initial length which had barely allowed him to move from his bed.

(Cloud had been injured and not thinking straight at the time; Sephiroth had only wanted to prevent him from injuring himself.)

Even so, Cloud only had access to the nearest quarter of the library's sprawling corridors. Together they had set up a small space for him; comfortable chairs close to the connecting doorway, a lamp, a small table piled high with books Cloud had either chosen for himself or requested Sephiroth to bring him from deeper in.

It was one of these chairs that Sephiroth settled into, pulling Cloud onto his lap. He kept one arm slung loose around Cloud's waist.

Cloud leaned back against Sephiroth's chest. He had quirked an eyebrow at him when Sephiroth pulled the bread apart with his fingers, feeding Cloud the bite-sized pieces by hand, but otherwise Cloud had no complaints.

"I thought we were done for the evening," Sephiroth said, raising an amused eyebrow of his own.

Cloud ran his tongue over Sephiroth's fingertips, reluctantly letting them fall from his lips. "Who said I was starting anything? Maybe your bread making skills are just that good."

Sephiroth chuckled. "Did they not feed you properly back in Nibelheim?"

Cloud went abruptly quiet. He straightened up, not leaning on Sephiroth so much any more. "Ha. Not really," he said, too carefully. He shrugged, then made a gesture for Sephiroth to get him more bread.

Sephiroth did so. The tension soon bled away from Cloud again, but Sephiroth frowned to himself.

He waited until most of the bread was gone, and Cloud was contentedly fed and sleepy before bringing it up again.

"Cloud…" Sephiroth began.

Cloud cracked one eye open, peering expectantly at him.

"What happened in Nibelheim?"

Cloud had not told him much of his past, even in the three months he had been with him. Sephiroth knew the name of his hometown, and that Cloud had no one to return to there.

(Perhaps it was selfish, but Sephiroth had been very pleased to hear the latter. He wanted to keep Cloud for himself.)

Beyond that, though, Cloud had not been very forthcoming. Would he trust Sephiroth enough to talk to him now?

Cloud shifted against Sephiroth, making himself comfortable with his head pillowed against Sephiroth's shoulder.

"We had… an arrangement, of sorts. I protect the village from creatures of the dark. Vampires mainly, you know." Cloud gave a snort at the irony of his current situation. "And in return for that service, they provide me with whatever necessities I needed. Mostly just food, maybe some clothes or equipment when necessary.

"They weren't so great at upholding their end of the bargain. And they only ever repaid me in goods and services, never gil, so it wasn't like I even had the gold to buy my own food when they didn't send me any. I went hungry sometimes. But I can hunt and forage, so I got by. It's not like it was a big deal."

Sephiroth made a noise of disapproval. "That does not seem a fair bargain, if they fail to provide what they have promised."

Cloud gave a short, bitter laugh. "No, but what choice did I have."

"Most vampire hunters live a nomadic lifestyle. How did you become tied to Nibelheim?"

"I was born there. My mother…" Cloud's eyes flicked away, the words trailing off like he was uncertain whether to continue or not. "She was a vampire hunter too. Our whole family line has been."

"Mm, yes. I've known of your name before, Strife."

Cloud gave him a wry smile. He wasn't exactly living up to the family legacy, fraternising like this with one of the very creatures he was meant to destroy.

"Yeah. Anyway, she was pregnant with me and needed somewhere to settled down and eventually raise a kid. She was the one who negotiated that arrangement first; her protection for the town in trade for food and our survival."

"Why that town?"

"It _needed_ a full-time protector," Cloud said dryly. "A little village right at the foot of the Nibel mountains? It's always been a prime target for all the dangerous and creepy shit that lives there."

Sephiroth raised an arch eyebrow at him. " _I_ live in the Nibel mountains."

"Right. And like you don't come under the 'dangerous' category." Cloud nudged his head against Sephiroth playfully, then sighed and sobered. "Shame it's a village full of bitter, superstitious assholes."

Sephiroth caught the undercurrent of hurt in Cloud's tone, and his expression turned to steel. "Did they harm you?"

Cloud should have stopped there, just shook his head no. There was no sense opening old wounds and getting angry about things all over again. That wouldn't change anything. But… Sephiroth was looking at him expectantly, patiently. Cloud had never actually had a chance to vent to a sympathetic listener before.

"They killed her." The words burst out of him before Cloud could stop them.

"They sent my mother to her death. After she saved their asses!" He stood up abruptly, shoving Sephiroth's arm off. "There were these three fresh-blooded vampires, totally blood-crazed… and she took them all down."

"Impressive," Sephiroth murmured quietly.

Cloud softened for a moment. "Yeah. She was incredible. She was injured, but it wasn't even serious. She would have survived. She _should_ have survived. Just a week or two of rest… she was stubborn as hell, she would have been fine.

"But, no. Those _assholes_ –" Cloud's fists clenched. He turned away from Sephiroth, but Sephiroth could still see the way his shoulders were shaking. "They said she had to go after the vampire that had created them. Whoever it was… we had no information about their identity or location, nothing. It was so _stupid_. A wild goose chase.

"They sent her into the mountains, close to winter, already injured. Yeah. You can figure out how fucking well that went."

Sephiroth reached out to touch Cloud's shoulder. Cloud didn't pull away from the touch, but didn't turn back around either. He swiped the back of his hand angrily against his eyes.

"I'm sorry for your loss," Sephiroth said.

"I should've–" Cloud's voice cracked halfway through the sentence, choking back a quiet sob. "I was sixteen. I was old enough. I'd been trained since I could walk. I should've been the one to go instead of her. If I had just been stronger…"

This time Sephiroth didn't wait for Cloud's invitation. It had been a very long time since his last interaction with anyone human, and in truth, Sephiroth was entirely uncertain in how to proceed.

A sexual Cloud Sephiroth was intimately familiar with… an emotional Cloud, not so much. Cloud had a habit of shutting Sephiroth out – of shutting everyone out – when it came to that sort of thing. But Sephiroth pulled Cloud into his arms anyway, and Cloud did not push him away.

"You are plenty strong, my Cloud. Need I remind you that you were capable of injuring _me_ when we first fought?"

Cloud shook his head, though still made no move to leave the comfort of Sephiroth's embrace. "I wasn't strong when it mattered."

"Cloud. I understand this may not be what you wish to hear. But I have lived for centuries, and in a life that long I have gathered more than my share of regrets. No one can change the past; There is no option but to move on from it. Learn from your mistakes, yes, but do not let them bind you."

"I know. I thought I _had_ moved on, but… ugh. It's just, this. Talking about it. Now I remember why I never did." Cloud gave a hollow laugh.

"I apologise. I won't ask again."

Cloud made no response to that, other than a quiet sigh. Sephiroth allowed him to stay hidden in the sanctuary of his arms, listening as his pet's breathing finally began to even out again.

"It's almost dawn," Sephiroth finally murmured. "We should head to bed."

Cloud hummed a vague agreement.

His heartbeat stuttered again when Cloud realised Sephiroth had meant it when he said 'we'.

It was a damn huge risk Sephiroth was taking as he crawled into bed alongside Cloud, and they both knew it. The windows of Cloud's bedroom were shuttered tight and blocked with thick, heavy curtains, but it still remained that there were _windows_. All it would take would be for Cloud to wake up during the day and open them…

Sephiroth was old enough and strong enough that the sunlight would not kill him immediately, but it was nonetheless an utterly foolish amount of trust to be placing in a human he had himself kidnapped not so very long ago.

Cloud shifted in Sephiroth's arms, mouth dry. "Are you–"

"Yes. I am quite comfortable, thank you."

Sephiroth met Cloud's gaze, mouth turned up in a small smile as he purposefully misinterpreted Cloud's question. But his eyes were serious. He knew exactly what it meant, what he was doing.

"Sleep, pet. Perhaps tomorrow you will agree to be mine."

Cloud wished that he could say it would never happen… but he couldn't even promise himself that much anymore.


End file.
